Seven Songs That Peaked At #7

Guess what, I really like sevens.  Its been a thing my whole life.

When I was an athelete, I tried to always be number 7.  Sometimes I was 14 cause it was seven times two.  I also like math.  Nerd Alert.

Its Monday and you know what that means, right?  Herc is here with another installment of Music Mondays.  He's onto my love of sevens and has maxed it out in this post.  Check it!

Seven Songs That Only Peaked At #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Charts

(part of an ongoing series 7 Song Playlists)


“We’re #7! We’re #7!”
These songs reached their chart peak a mere six positions away from the pinnacle. They were the little engines that couldn’t. In an alternate universe, these shoulda-woulda-couldas … oh never mind, here they are:


“Beth” - Kiss (1976)


Long before those Glee-ful dudes re-introduced this ballad to your earholes, it originally languished as the b-side of “Detroit Rock City”, a rocking little ditty inspired by a fan killed in an auto accident on his way to a KISS concert, although this doesn’t make much sense until you hear the full length album version on Destroyer. Legend has it that a radio DJ somewhere flipped the record over and the phones lit up. Drummer Peter Criss co-wrote the song before he joined KISS and the woman’s name originally used was “Beck”, short for Becky. When performing this song in concert, Criss sang to a taped backing track while the other members took a breather backstage, probably reapplying their make-up and snapping Polaroids. I never would have guessed it but “Beth” is KISS’s highest charting single. (Yeah, yeah I know they are an album band. Whatevs.) Anyway, once Peter Criss was sacked and Eric Carr, The Fox, was brought in to take his place behind the skins, the band had the kabuki face painted stones to re-record and perform the song with his vocals. For me, the definitive Criss version is his lip-synched performance on Paul Lynde’s Halloween Special way back in 1976. The show is available on DVD and is notable for featuring KISS, Betty White, Tim Conway, Billy Barty and Donny & Marie Osmond amongst others. Truly, a once-in-a-lifetime gathering.

“Wanted Dead Or Alive” - Bon Jovi (1987)


Rock stars as cowboys. This song, like almost every other Bon Jovi song, encourages the listener to sing along at the top of his or her lungs. And with it’s echoing vocal style, this song has also inspired more dude duets than Hall & Oates ever did. Righteous. I might add that it has been my personal experience, after attending three Bon Jovi concerts in the late 1980s, that some of Bon Jovi’s female fans have some pretty spectacular ... “lungs”.


“Welcome To The Jungle” - Guns N Roses (1988)


In a drunken stupor, Axl Rose thought he was Balloo in The Jungle Book and wrote an epic dream song about it. Not really. Some people claim that the first songwriting collaboration between Axl and Slash is the greatest hard rock song of all time. Maybe it is or maybe it isn’t but this wailing piece of a hard rock cautionary tale pulled no punches in depicting the horrors that awaited big-eyed dreamers as they stepped off the bus that brought them from their podunk towns and hicksvilles to the big bad city. Should have brought knee pads, hayseeds. (“It’s gonna bring you to your knees!”) And flame retardant pajamas. (“You’re gonna burn!”) Does anyone else want a doormat with this song title on it? That would be so cool.


“Bust A Move” - Young MC (1989)


Young MC (not his birth name I’m guessing) was a college student at USC when he wrote three songs that would enable him to drop out of school and travel the world: “Bust A Move” for himself and two monster hits for Tone-Loc, “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina”. But Young MC stayed in school and got his degree, kids, so let that be a lesson for you. No matter how many rap hits you write, you should always finish what you start. And own your publishing, that’s where the money is. That and merch. Though technically no longer “young”, Mr. MC continues to write and perform to this day.


“7” - Prince (1993)


Not the best song Prince ever wrote, performed, recorded or released. Not even close. And then he released a bajillion remixes and edits of it. The video was a mess and I think he might have been using that symbol as his name at the time which didn’t help his case. No wait, the album’s title was that unpronounceable symbol. But it’s pretty cool that a song titled “7” only made to #7 on the charts, ain’t it?


“Barbie Girl” - Aqua (1997)

This was Devyn’s favorite song for a while back in the day. She even had the cassette single or “cass-ingle”. I wonder if it’s still her jam? The song regularly shows up on two all-time lists: One Hit Wonders and Worst Songs Ever. While they were initially litigious, taking their case all the way to the Supreme Court before being advised to “chill”, Barbie maker Mattel later used a lyrically modified version of the song in their ads.


“Higher” - Creed (2000)


Oh sweet irony that a song entitled “Higher” could not make it any higher than #7. Before they became a punchline, this bombastic anthem about lucid dreaming was their first charted single and Creed performed it on the rooftop of a Las Vegas casino (The Rio!) for some music awards show so that they were higher than the other acts. Unless Snoop was there.